Angel's End
by Asuka's Knight
Summary: A different version of the events of NGE, following the story with the addition of a new character: A friend of Shinji's from the school he attended before coming to Tokyo3. Contains SI
1. Arrival

**Angel's End**

Written by Hyper Mystic Gohan

Disclaimer: YES! I own Neon Genesis Evangelion and it makes lots of money for me!

Author sees Gainax lawyers, armed with cattle prods, oriental disembowelling cutlasses and various Westlife albums moving ominously towards him.

Oh, come on, can't you people take a joke? No, I don't really own NGE, I'm just your average Fanfiction author who has more spare time than is good for him. Anyway, thanks for reading this fic, and I'd appreciate a review if you can.

While this fic does follow the events of NGE, it is also an original storyline. So please don't mention any glaring plot-holes that I happen to rip open while writing this. I'm mostly using this fic as the prequel for another Evangelion story I've been working on for a while.

Chapter One - Arrival

_"We're sorry. Due to the current state of emergency, no lines are available. This is a recording."_

The young boy stared at the phone and muttered, "This is dumb. We shouldn't have come here." He walked across the road to another boy his age who appeared to be dozing on a bench. When he came near, one of the boy's eyes opened.

"No luck, Shinji?"

"Phones are down. Listen, thanks for coming down here with me, Larry."

"No problem. I mean, it's not like I had anything planned." Larry stood up and stretched, and grinned at his friend. "Besides, I wouldn't pass up a chance to meet that girl in the photo. Any idea who she is?"

"Probably a colleague of my father. Listen, that announcement earlier...I really think we should get to a shelter. Larry?"

Larry wasn't listening to Shinji, because he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. A girl was standing in the middle of the street, staring right at him and Shinji. Her hair fluttered lightly in the breeze and he strained to try and see her better. His head jerked upwards as a bunch of birds took off from a telephone wire, and when he looked back, the girl was gone.

"Shinji, did you see..."

He couldn't say anything else, because their attention was diverted by a sudden tremor. Looking up, they spotted a bunch of helicopters emerging from behind a mountain, followed by something neither of the two had ever seen before.

To Larry, it was something straight out of a sci-fi movie, or one of those Japanese animation shows he loved to watch. A greyish-green humanoid, it was at least thirty meters tall and had a large red rob in the middle of its chest. They didn't have a lot of time to examine it, because a pair of missiles suddenly came whizzing over their heads and forced the two of them to hit the ground. A few seconds later, they arced towards the thing and struck it head-on. It didn't seem fazed in the least, either by the missiles, or by the artillery barrage that suddenly started from a ridge near the city.

"The damned city's turning into a warzone!" Larry yelled as he and Shinji ducked underneath a sign that was threatening to come loose any second, and did, nearly crushing the two of them. "Shit! Shinji, where the hell is that woman?"

"I don't know!" Shinji yelled back over the deafening explosions. "But we need to find cover." They jumped behind a load of rubble that looked like it wasn't too near any of the buildings. Just then, the creature shot skyward, either by its own will or one of the explosions. Either way, it landed less than ten feet from where the two had taken cover.

It now became very clear to them that they were either going to get blown up by a stray missile, or stepped on by that thing. That was when a small blue car skidded to a halt almost directly in front of them. The passenger door popped open and a blue-haired woman yelled "Get in, both of you!".

Not wasting any time, the two jumped inside, Larry taking the back seat. Right before the thing crushed the car, the woman threw it into reverse and raced off.

Misato examined the two boys as she drove away from the battle. The one on the seat next to her was obviously Shinji Ikari, who she recognised from the picture she had been given. He was wiry, with blue eyes and brown hair cut in an untidy bowl shape, his face serious. His friend in the back, however, was a complication.

He was taller than Shinji, probably about six-foot-one. His hair was thick and slightly unruly, coloured dark brown. He had dark blue eyes that were gazing with interest at the explosions that were still coming from the city. His expression seemed to be one of perpetual relaxation, and when he saw her looking at him in the mirror, flashed her a quick smile. Misato wondered what she was going to do with him, since she couldn't just unload him at the side of the road with the Angel nearby. She would just have to take him into the Geo-Front and get chewed out by Ritsuko later on about confidentiality and proper procedures.

"I know Shinji," She said and stopped the car on a ridge, and looked at him while fumbling for the binoculars underneath her seat. "Who are you?"

"Larry Linford," He replied and grinned. "And if you don't mind my asking, what's yours? I don't like not knowing the name of a beautiful woman." Shinji sighed in the front seat. Larry just would never change.

"Well, Larry, Shinji, my name is Misato Katsuragi." Misato said and leaned out the window to watch the progress of the UN forces against the Angel. Suddenly, all the choppers that had been around the Angel retreated, and she felt the hairs on her neck stand up. "Now wait just a second..." She muttered, before realising the UN was going to initiate its backup plan. "No! They're going to drop an N2 mine on it! Get down!"

She fell on top of Shinji, who seemed to have frozen. She didn't need to be worried about Larry, who had dived down on the backseat the moment she had mentioned the mine. The mine exploded in a huge flash of light, the heat almost unbearable even at this distance. But it was the shockwave that got them next, blowing the car off its wheels and sending it skidding along the earth.

When it finally halted, the three tentatively stuck their heads out the windows of the car, which was now lying on its side and watched as the blast cloud dissipated. When it did, Misato quickly got the two to push the car back onto its wheels, which didn't take long. Larry was silently thankful that Misato had such a small car, and not something like a Mercedes. However, they had another problem when the car wouldn't start.

"Now, this won't do..." Misato said and spotted a small shop. It was closed, but she saw what she needed inside.

Shinji and Larry watched in dumbstruck amazement as she picked up a piece of rubble from nearby and easily pitched it through the plate glass window, whereupon she clambered inside. The two were still staring with their mouths half-open when she emerged with a box full of batteries, which she then proceeded to wire into the car.

"Are you two just going to stand there all day?" Misato called out as she started the car. Larry and Shinji got in, and it was only some time later that Shinji asked about Misato's actions.

"Miss Misato? Those batteries you took...Are you sure it's alright to do that?"

"Of course. There was no one in the shop, so I did what I had to do."

"You know," Larry replied from the back, where he had sat silent until now. "Back where I come from, that's called theft."

"No, it isn't." Misato replied quickly, smiling. "We needed a working car, and besides, I am a government official, after all. So, everything will fine. Okay? Okay!"

"I don't think anyone will buy that excuse." Shinji said and rolled his eyes.

"You're no fun. You know, you're not as cute as I thought you would be."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Ooh, angry?" Misato said in a slightly babyish voice. "I'm sorry. Well, you are only a boy after all."

"I guess you're not the only one who's disappointed." Misato looked down in surprise as Larry dropped the picture she had sent Shinji into her lap. "I guess that must have been taken a few years ago. You know, before all the lines and wrinkles set in."

The next few seconds were slightly manic as Misato attempted to strangle Larry, Larry tried his best to point out he was only joking with Misato screaming at him and Shinji trying to tell Misato that driving was best done with at least one hand on the wheel.

Shortly after this, they entered a tunnel which led into a lift. Larry examined the logo that was sketched on the elevator doors before they entered. A red leaf with the word NERV written next to it. Below the logo was the phrase "God is in his Heaven - All is right with the world." Misato handed Shinji a file to read, before turning towards him on the back seat.

"Why did you decide to come with Shinji?"

Larry shrugged. "I was with him when he got the note and offered to go with him, seeing as I had nothing better to do. Besides, I wanted to make sure he got here okay."

"I don't know if you're going to be able to stay with him though. Shinji's here on business, not a vacation." The car jolted slightly as Misato drove out the lift onto a train that proceeded to take them deeper underground.

"That's okay. I wasn't expecting to hang around long, my dad doesn't even know I'm here."

"I'll talk to the commander and see about getting you a ride back after we get Shinji settled in."

The journey continued in silence, until Larry and Shinji noticed a strange light coming from the windows of the train. When they looked outside, both were stunned. Below them were a lush forest and various other buildings. Some hung from the roof, looking like they had been retracted from the city upstairs. Artificial sunlight glimmered sharply in what was supposed to be a sunset. Shinji broke the silence first.

"Whoa! A real Geo-Front!"

"This is our headquarters, NERV Central," Misato told them quite proudly. "This city is the key to rebuilding our world, a fortress for all of mankind."

They entered the Geo-Front a little while later on a moving walkway. Shinji was still absorbed in the file Misato had given him, Misato was busy checking something on a map she had with her and Larry just enjoyed looking around, knowing he was seeing a real wonder of technology up close. Geo-Fronts were some of the most secure places in the world, self-sustainable for years if the need ever came to seal it off.

The three of them stayed on the walkway for about five minutes, changing to another one and then another. Fifteen minutes later when they had passed the same doorway for the second time, Misato admitted she hadn't gotten used to the layout of the Geo-Front yet. Finally, she got on the intercom and called someone to come and get them.

They were waiting in an elevator when the doors opened and a woman stepped in wearing a lab coat over a swimsuit. Larry gave her a cursory glance. Blonde hair, green eyes that were examining Misato with something that was both friendly and superior at the same time, a mole beneath her left eye and a face that looked deadly serious. Larry found himself casually wondering whether being cute and having nice legs were a requirement for female NERV employees.

"Uhh, hi there, Ritsuko."

Ritsuko took a step inside the elevator. "Why are you wasting my time, Captain? Aren't you aware that we're short on both time and manpower?"

"Sorry."

She sighed and glanced at Shinji, still reading the NERV file. "Is this him?"

"Yes. According to the Marduk report, he's the Third Child."

"Pleased to meet you," Her gaze drifted to Larry, who was leaning against the wall and reading a few parts of the file over Shinji's shoulder. "And who's this?" She asked in a tone of voice that you usually reserve for describing something you stepped in.

"This is Larry, Shinji's friend. I found the two of them caught right in the middle of the battle with the Angel."

Ritsuko replied, her voice cold. "You know what we have stored here. What do you think this is, a tourist attraction?"

"If I had left him there," Misato said, sounding a little angry. "He would have been killed. Now, maybe you can live with a kid's death on your conscience, but I can't."

"Fine. You, boy," Ritsuko turned her gaze to Larry. "As soon as is possible, I will make sure you leave here. And if you're ever to repeat what you saw down here..."

"I'm sure you'll bludgeon me to death with a Bunsen Burner." He replied, raising one eyebrow and giving Ritsuko a mildly sardonic smile. "Besides, I don't really see any state secrets lying around, so what's with the paranoia?"

Apparently, Ritsuko didn't think he was worth answering, because she ignored him as they stepped off the elevator onto another one, this time an open elevator. As it continued on its way up, he caught snatches of the two women's conversation. Something about the "0-9 System" and activating "Unit 01". When they finally reached the top, they took a boat across some strange red liquid until they finally reached a large building. Ritsuko swiped an ID card through a reader beside the door and it opened. After they went inside and the door closed, the room was suddenly pitch-black. When they did switch on the lights, the two of them found themselves staring at three huge faces in front of them.

"A face...A giant robot?" Shinji exclaimed and flipped through his file again.

"You won't find this in there," Ritsuko told him. "This is man's ultimate humanoid fighting machine, the first three models of the synthetic life form known as Evangelion. This is Unit 00," She nodded at the one on the left, a blue robot with a circular helmet-like head. "Unit 01," The purple one in the middle with a spiked head and a pair of white eyes. "And the experimental unit, Unit R." The final robot on the left, painted pitch-black with horns raked backwards on either side of its head. "Built here in secret, they're mankind's last hope for survival."

Larry walked over to the black one, the one Ritsuko had called Unit R and looked it over with a lot of interest. "Is this what my father has been working on?" He heard Shinji ask.

"Correct." He glanced up at a balcony overlooking the hangar. Behind a partition of glass stood a tall man wearing glasses. His hair looked a bit like Shinji's, though a little thinner and he had a neat beard. Even if he hadn't seen the one picture Shinji had of the man, he would have guessed it was his father. Gendo Ikari continued staring at his son. "It's been a while."

"Father..." Shinji whispered. He sounded like he was choking something back, tears, anger or hatred. And maybe, something darker.

"We're moving out." Shinji's father told everyone in the hangar.

"Moving out?" Misato shouted back. She stopped and looked at the three Evangelions next to her. "You're planning to use the Evas?"

"There's no other way." Ritsuko replied.

"But wait! Rei can't do it, she's hurt. We don't have a pilot!"

"One's just been delivered."

"You're serious."

Ritsuko turned to Shinji. "Shinji Ikari...You will pilot it."

"But even Rei took seven months to synchronise with her Eva," Misato interrupted her again. It's impossible for him to do it, he just got here!"

"All he has to do is sit in a seat. We don't expect more than that."

"But..."

"Listen, defeating that Angel is our top priority. If we have someone who has even the slightest chance of synchronising with an Eva, we have to risk it. You understand that, don't you, Captain Katsuragi?"

"Why did you send for me?" Shinji asked his father, seemingly oblivious to the two woman who were arguing either side of him.

"You know why." His father replied.

"So, you're asking me to take this thing, and go out there and fight?"

"Correct."

"How could you do this to me?" Shinji suddenly shouted back, his voice cracking with emotion. "I thought you didn't want me. Why, why did you have to call me now, father?"

"Because I have a use for you."

"But why, why me?" He asked.

"Because there is no one else who can."

"I can't! I've never even see anything like this before! There's no way I can do this."

"You will be instructed."

"But still...There's no way. I can't pilot that thing!"

"If you're going to do it, do it now. If not," Gendo's voice dropped about twenty or so degrees. "Then leave."

Everyone in the hangar was watching this little father-son reunion. Their relationship was probably troubled at best, and Larry didn't know how long this encounter could go on before Shinji snapped. He hadn't seen his father in three years, and this was most probably not the best of circumstances for their meeting.

The ground suddenly quaked, and though earthquakes weren't too uncommon in Japan, this was definitely not a natural occurrence. Most probably, the Angel out there had decided to start attacking the Geo-Front.

"Shinji, we don't have much time." Ritsuko told Shinji, her face worried. He turned to Misato, who crossed her arms.

"Get inside." She told him, her friendliness from earlier completely gone.

"I...I can't do it!" Shinji shouted one final time. He just stood there, looking at the floor. Larry knew this gesture. Shinji most often did it when he was upset, or just when too many people were staring at him.

Misato and Ritsuko looked away, knowing they couldn't force him into it. Larry looked at Shinji's father, who seemed disappointed for a moment, then looked to a row of monitors on his left.

"Fuyutski!"

_"Sir!"_ An older man appeared on the monitor, his grey hair combed back.

"Wake Rei."

_"Can we use her?"_ The old man sounded doubtful, as if he knew the answer to his own question.

"She's not dead yet."

_"Understood."_

Ritsuko looked at Shinji for another second, then up at the technicians. "Abort the preparation of Unit 01, but start preparations for Unit 00."

Larry walked up his friend who was still standing with his head bowed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Forget it, Shinji. If even half of the stuff you told me about your old man is true, you don't owe him jack."

Shinji didn't reply, and before Larry could try to come up with any more words of comfort, a hospital trolley was pushed past them, complete with an IV stand. On it was a blue-haired girl, who looked like she was in no condition to even be out of a hospital bed, let alone pilot a robot. She had bandages on her head, a patch over one eye and an arm in a cast. Then she was gone, being wheeled towards the robot on the far left.

"Jesus..." Larry said softly. "Don't tell me that's the pilot they intend to send out there."

The hangar was suddenly shook once more as another attack from the Angel penetrated the Geo-Front. Something from above crashed into the hangar, and the girl toppled off the bed. Several of the beams above began breaking loose under the stress. When the second attack hit, they did, and one was directly above the doctors and the girl.

Realising what was about to happen, Larry bolted across the walkway, past Misato and Ritsuko. The doctors scattered, leaving Larry to pull the girl away. He tried to pick her up, but she cried out in pain and Larry realised he wasn't going to be able to move her. Suddenly, Shinji was next to him, trying to help him and the girl up, but he couldn't.

That was when a shadow loomed over the three of them. The purple robot had moved its hand over them. The beam struck it and bounced off, shattering itself on the glass shielding the balcony where Shinji's father was standing.

"The Eva moved!" One of the technicians in the room yelled out.

"But how?" Came the reply from a second one above the gantry.

"I don't know, but it managed to rip right out of the arm restraint!"

'That's impossible!" Ritsuko shouted back at the workers. "It has no entry plug."

"It reacted without an interface…Was it protecting something...Them?" Misato said, staring at the three children underneath the large hand.

Larry felt the girl moving in his arms, and he looked down at her. She winced and moaned softly. He could only imagine the kind of pain she was going through.

"Don't worry," He whispered to her for some weird reason. "Everything will be okay..."

"You can let go of her now, son." The head doctor was back, and he motioned for Larry to leave her to get up. Larry held onto her, and with Shinji's help, lifted her to her feet. They watched the doctors take her to her robot and insert her into some kind of tube. The hangar shook again, and Larry realised how bleak the situation was. The thing up there was blowing through God knows how many miles of earth, right into the Geo-Front. Against it, they were sending this girl who looked like she had been in a car crash. It wasn't right. He looked down at his hand, which was covered in her blood, as was his jeans. A nauseous feeling of Déjà vu swept over him, but he pushed it away.

"Mr. Ikari..." Larry said and turned to Shinji's father. "I want to go with her."

Aside from Shinji and his father, the rest of the hangar stared at him like he had just gone crazy. "The Evangelions won't run with you!" Ritsuko yelled at him. "Our projections show there is a minimal chance of activation with Shinji, who was meant to pilot them. You have no chance of piloting it!"

"You know, for a scientist, you're pretty damned short-sighted. Have you forgotten that that thing is up there?" Larry jerked his thumb angrily at the ceiling and glared at the blonde woman. "You guys have three robots and two pilots, one of which is refusing to go. And if you're planning to only send her out there, we're dead."

"And you're just an arrogant little boy who thinks he knows everything." Ritsuko was boiling. Who did this kid think he was? "Do you have any idea what these things cost? If you get it destroyed..."

"If I'm killed," Larry snapped back, his hands clenched into fists. "It won't mean shit, because then that thing will come down here and kill all of you."

"Doctor Akagi." Both Larry and Ritsuko looked up from their arguing at Gendo Ikari. "He's right. Let him pilot one."

"Fine," Ritsuko replied, still angry. She snapped at the technicians "Reconfigure Unit 01 for this boy."

"No, doctor." Gendo said. "Give him Unit R."

"But it's still in the prototype stages! We haven't even tested it properly yet!"

"It will be tested now."

Ritsuko took Larry by the arm, perhaps a little too roughly and almost dragged him over to the black robot. He could see a white tube hanging near the back of its head, and guessed that was where he was supposed to go in.

"Shinji!" Larry yelled at his friend, who looked at him with an expression of indecision on his face. "If something goes wrong up there, tell my dad I'm sorry."

"Larry, wait!" Shinji seemed to reach a decision and he looked up at his father. "I'll go with them." His father smiled at him with something that was almost, but not quite pride.

The two of the were quickly prepped and handed a pair of what looked like hairclips. Ritsuko ordered them to put them on, before the two were placed inside the tubes Ritsuko referred to as entry plugs and inserted into the robot. Larry looked around the cockpit and saw fewer controls than he thought would be in something this advanced. There were only two joysticks in front of him, and his legs were attached to some kind of harness. He looked down when he felt something pushing up his legs and saw an orange liquid seeping in.

"What the...?"

_"Don't worry, it's only LCL. When it fills your lungs, your blood will be oxygenated directly." _Ritsuko replied from the control room.

Larry swallowed a deep mouthful of the liquid and grimaced slightly. It didn't have a taste, but was strangely warm. He heard Shinji mentioning that he was going to be sick, and promptly got yelled at by Misato for complaining. Something inside the Eva filtered out the orange colour of the LCL and he was able to see the hangar and the crew. Correction: He was able to see the entire hangar, and he assumed the almost ant-shaped objects scurrying around to be the crew.

_"Lift system ready, Eva units in position."_

_"Final checks completed?"_

_"Yes."_

The exchange between Misato and some other woman Larry had never heard before continued for a few more seconds, before Misato spoke to them directly.

_"We're about to send you into the city. Shinji, Larry, we'll instruct you on how to manoeuvre your Evas when you reach the surface. Understood?"_

"Yes."

"Got it. Shinji, good luck up there."

_"Eva launch!"_

Larry felt his stomach bottom out momentarily as his Eva was catapulted up the lift system. Only then did he realise that what he was doing was most probably number 1 on the list of "The Dumbest Things I Have Ever Done". But there was no turning back now, and he would just have to hope for the best.


	2. Herald Of The Apocalypse

**Angel's End**

Written by Hyper Mystic Gohan

Disclaimer: I have absolutely no connection with Gainax, nor do I own...Hey, do I really have to say this?

Gainax security official waves a stun gun in author's direction

Sigh Nor do I own Neon Genesis Evangelion or make any money from it.

While this fic does follow the events of NGE, it is also an original storyline. So please don't mention any glaring plot-holes that I happen to rip open while writing this. I'm mostly using this fic as the prequel for another Evangelion story I've been working on for a while.

Chapter Two - Herald Of The Apocalypse

The lift opened up into the city, and Larry spotted the Angel a couple of blocks away from him. Two other lifts rose up from the ground, flanking the Angel. Shinji's purple Eva and the girl's orange one appeared.

Her Eva immediately left the lift and walked out, its one held up in a defensive posture.

_"Larry, Shinji, listen to me carefully. Controlling the Evas are easy, all you have to do is think something and the Eva will do it. Concentrate on walking for the moment."_

Larry closed his eyes and thought about walking, strolling out into the city. He opened his eyes and...Nothing.

_"Synchronisation levels for Unit R at 5, far below functioning level."_ Larry heard the woman who Misato had been talking to say. He didn't understand the terminology, but he knew what it meant. He couldn't pilot this thing.

_"I was afraid of this," _Ritsuko said. _"Larry, remain in the lift until we've rebooted the system, then we'll bring you back down."_

"Okay, I understand." Larry said with an audible sigh. He looked out and was surprised to see Shinji's Eva take a hesitant step forward, then it was actually walking.

_"Synchronisation in Unit 01, 41.3."_

"Yeah, go get him Shinji!" Larry yelled from his Eva. "Kick that thing's ass!"

The Angel turned around when Shinji got close, merely turning what Larry assumed to be his head to the side. Suddenly the Angel leaped forward and smashed into Shinji's Eva, knocking it to the floor. It reached down and grabbed the Eva's arm, ripping and twisting at it. That was when Larry heard a dull cracking sound, and the Eva's arm flopped uselessly to the side. But it was nothing compared to Shinji's scream that followed, nearly jolting Larry out of his seat. He couldn't understand why he was screaming, unless...

_Unless we feel everything the Evas feel._

Powerless to do anything but observe, Larry was forced to watch the Angel pick Shinji's Eva up by the head and smash a bolt of energy into its head armour, again and again. Finally, it flung it away. Shinji's Eva crashed into a building, and what looked like blood spurted from the head.

_"Unit 01 has gone silent."_

The Angel suddenly stared right at him, still standing inside the lift. Larry felt his stomach knot, knowing if the thing came for him, he wasn't going to stand a chance. It bolted towards him and he closed his eyes, waiting for the worst. But it never got to him, because something struck the Angel from the side. Larry looked down to see a knife sticking out of the Angel's side, buried up to the hilt. Then he spotted the girl's Eva unit, still standing in a throwing position. Realising that she was the more dangerous enemy, the Angel turned towards her.

_"Rei, you have to attack the Angel. Buy us enough time to get Shinji's Eva working again."_

"Yes, captain Katsuragi." The girl replied, and her Eva broke into an awkward jog, making Larry realise something. The girl's injuries were affecting her piloting, stopping her from performing at a hundred percent. Even so, she was a lot more adept at piloting than Shinji was, lightly jumping out of the way of the Angel's attack and laying into it with some punches. But they were having little effect on it, and the girl was weakening, her harsh breathing audible through the communications system. And here he was, standing around in a super-advanced fighting machine and he couldn't do anything to help the person who had just saved his life.

Sensing the Eva's weakness, the Angel struck. It grabbed the Eva's head and slammed it into the ground repeatedly, before tossing the Eva onto its back, whereby it pinned it to the ground and began beating it with its fists.

_"The bitch got it in the gut. If you don't give me the money and get the hell out of here, you'll get the same, boy."_

_"Sorry, Larry...There's nothing you can do for me. I j-just want you to know...I love you."_

The memories came out of nowhere, the voices connected to an event Larry was still trying to forget. Something in his mind gave way with an almost audible snap. The world dissolved into a red haze and all rational thought was forgotten.

Misato looked at the screen, wondering if the situation could get any worse. Larry was unable to pilot his Eva, Shinji was still down, and Rei was helplessly being beaten by the Angel. The reports weren't good, stating that her armour was probably going to crack any minute now.

"What about the UN forces? Can't they provide us with cover?"

"Negative on that," Shigeru replied, still absorbed at his console. "They're completely exhausted."

_"No..."_

The single whispered word came from Larry. Everyone on the bridge looked at his Eva, hoping it would move.

"Anything, Maya?"

"Nothing..."

_"I won't let this happen again."_

"Pilot's heart rate and blood pressure are increasing." Makoto reported.

_"Alright, you motherfucking son of a whore!" _Larry's sudden yelled words stunned the entire bridge crew. _"You want to rumble? Then let's rumble!"_

"I don't believe this. Synchronisation detected in prototype Unit R!" Maya suddenly yelled as her monitor began flashing up data. "60 and climbing!"

On the screen, his Eva bolted forwards and headed straight for the Angel. Misato and Ritsuko were both looking on in amazement as Unit R sprouted two black wings from its back.

"He's engaged the propulsion system. Speed rising to three-hundred miles an hour."

"Synchronisation 120 and still going up!"

Abruptly, another of Maya's panels switched on. She watched the numbers and characters fly by, but could believe these even less. "Unit 01 is reactivating itself."

"I don't see how though, we're still not reading any pilot life-signs."

Shinji's Eva lurched to its feet and held out its damaged arm. Out of nowhere, it regenerated the armour, looking as though it had never been damaged in the first place. Then it roared, the sound echoing throughout the entire Central Dogma. It locked its gaze on the Angel and the other Eva rushing towards it, before running in to join in the battle as well.

"My God..." Misato whispered.

"It's the Berserker." Ritsuko said more to herself than anyone else.

The black Eva smashed into the Angel, shoving it off of Rei and sending it through several buildings. Not wasting time, he jumped on top of the Angel and began clawing at its head, ripping and tearing into its flesh. The Angel reared back and heaved Larry off of him, throwing him into Shinji. The two Evas recovered a second before it blasted them with a crucifix-shaped energy attack. But when the dust cleared, both were still standing. The Evas rushed in for another attack, but before they could get close to the Angel, they struck what looked like a wall of orange energy.

"No, an AT Field!" Ritsuko yelled when she saw what had happened. "As long as the Angel has that thing up..."

"They won't be able to scratch it." Misato finished, her heart racing. For a few seconds, it had looked like they might win this thing, but now...

Larry's Eva held up its one hand, and caught a long staff that had ejected from a hatch near its back. Flicking a switch, a long curved blade of blue energy emerged from the tip.

"He's activated the energy scythe. I hope it works as well as it did in the simulations."

Unit R swung the scythe behind its back and swung it in a low arc, catching the Angel's field from the bottom. Sparks flew as the field and energy blade made contact. Straining, Larry pulled harder upwards, until the field suddenly gave way and disappeared in a flash of orange light.

"It ripped through the AT Field like it wasn't even there." For the first time, Misato actually found herself thinking about exactly what these huge robots were.

Its defence gone, the Angel stumbled backwards, but Unit 01 grasped it by its arm and snapped it in two as if in revenge for what happened earlier. It then sharply pulled the Angel forward and quickly stepped out of the way as Unit R impaled it on its scythe, the blue energy blade visible through the back of the Angel. Larry, unaware of how he had gained control of his Eva, yanked the scythe from the Angel's body and shoved it to the ground.

His eyes locked on something, the red orb nestled between a ribcage kind of covering. Something told him that if he destroyed it, the Angel would be gone too. He lifted his foot and stomped down hard on the Angel's midriff, crushing its lower body and making sure it had nowhere to go. With that, he lifted the scythe above his head and brought it down hard. It crashed into the orb, cracking it in one blow.

Without warning, the Angel suddenly acted. It somehow managed to manoeuvre out from under his Eva and leapt up onto it, engulfing the robot's entire upper body with its own. Larry found himself staring straight at the red orb, when it began to glow. Though he realised what was about to happen, he didn't panic. Neither did the Eva make any attempt to move out of the way.

"No! It's going to self-destruct!" Misato yelled a millisecond before the images on the screen disappeared in a brilliant flash of light as the Angel detonated its S2 engine right on top of Unit R. Shinji's Eva was blown clear away as a huge cross of energy filled the sky. The bridge crew watched entire area around the explosion was levelled.

"Larry! Is he...?" Her question was answered when the explosion cleared. From the middle of the destruction the explosion had caused, from the flames came Unit R. Its scythe was held firmly in its right hand, its wings were still extended to their full span and the orange flames didn't even reflect off its black armour, giving it the appearance of a menacing silhouette. One single red eye gleamed threateningly in the dark. "That must be the Eva's true form."

Feeling as if he had just run a marathon, Larry let out a shuddering breath. He tried to remember what had happened in the past few minutes, but all he could recall was a bunch of blurred images and a feeling of hatred.

"Amy..." He whispered softly to the cockpit. His view from the Eva suddenly became dark, and he heard something crashing to the tarmac. Looking in the reflection of the skyscraper next to him, he understood. The explosion from the Angel had completely dislodged his Eva's head armour, and it had just fallen off. There was a hole at the side of its head that looked like an eye socket. Looking closer, he saw something that looked like flesh, and it suddenly began coagulating. Staring in morbid fascination, he watched as a red orb suddenly emerged. It rolled over once, and now there was a black pupil staring back at him. An eye! Though this was supposed to be a robot, he didn't doubt for a second the Eva was watching him even as he watched it in the reflection.

Ritsuko waited to meet Larry as soon as he left the hangar. She looked mildly annoyed and baffled as she handed him a sheet of paper that had both his Synch levels and emotional responses compared on a graph. Seems he had synchronised the moment he had gotten angry. Looking at her expression, he guessed she was puzzled by what had happened and that being puzzled was something she didn't enjoy.

"I don't know what happened out there, but it worked." She told him, trying to keep her voice neutral. "You managed to activate the Evangelion and defeat the Angel, but with extensive damage to both the city and your team. Shinji's being treated for shock, and Rei's been put back into the ICU. We don't know by how long her recovery has been set back." Though it sounded a lot like she was blaming him for what happened, he didn't really care what this woman thought about him.

"Will they be okay?"

"I suspect so. I need to go analyse these results further. Maya is waiting in the next corridor to take you to a dorm room. You'll be staying here until we decide what to do with you."

"Sure, okay. Listen, doctor Akagi, I need to find a phone. My dad doesn't know where I am, I never told him I was going with Shinji."

"I'm afraid that's impossible. Until we decide what to tell the media, there's a communications blackout inside the Geo-Front. No outward communication is allowed." Her eyes narrowed on the boy. "And any contravention of this will be harshly punished. Goodnight, mister Linford."

Ritsuko walked down the corridor, and Larry walked onwards. Hs mind was already made up about the good doctor. She might have nice legs, but she was as cold as a damned computer. Then his mind turned to his dad, probably already half-insane with worry about why his son was so late in getting back from school. He would probably phone the tutor Shinji stayed with, but all the old man would be able to tell his father was that Shinji had gone to Tokyo-3.

In the next corridor, there was a short woman waiting for him. Brown hair, brown eyes, also pretty cute. When she spoke to him, he recognised her as the woman from the command centre.

"Hi, I'm Maya. I have to say, your piloting was impressive. Right before you destroyed the Angel, you were at a 250 synchronisation. Let's go, I've got orders to get you settled in." Larry let himself be led, not really speaking much. They passed a first-aid room, which suddenly made him think of something.

"Umm, Maya?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"I was wondering if we could go see Shinji and that other girl, Rei first. I'm kind of worried about them."

"Sure, I don't see how that could be a problem. Shinji's just on the floor above us in Observation. Rei's four floors up, in ICU."

They jogged up a flight of stairs, and Maya led him to a door. "He's in there, I'll wait outside." When she saw Larry's worried expression, she held his shoulder and gave him a comforting smile. "You can relax. NERV has the finest doctors in the world. Shinji's in good hands."

"Thanks, Maya. I'll be back in a few."

Shinji was lying in a bed, looking like he was asleep. It was plain to see he was still in shock from the battle. Larry could imagine what is must have been like, having a bolt of energy shoved through your head, only to then be flung into a building. But it wasn't just that. His meeting with his father had definitely not been a happy experience. Unfortunately, Larry couldn't sympathise in this case, because as much as Shinji hated his father, Larry loved his own.

He left, and followed Maya up three more flights of stairs to another room. Once again, she waited outside. In here, a lamp on the table in the corner cast a slightly dim light over the rest of the room. The girl was also asleep, her breathing slow and shallow. Larry examined the doctor's report that hung on the edge of her bed. She had suffered neural shock from the battle, as well as re-injuring her broken arm. He checked the name at the top of the chart: Ayanami - Rei.

"Rei Ayanami, huh?" Larry looked from the chart to the girl on the bed, and felt an odd tug of affection for her. It threw him off balance, because he didn't even know a thing about her. He replaced the chart and went over to a pen and pad that was on one of the tables. He sat down and wrote a short note on it and left it by her bedside table.

_Rei_

_I doubt you remember me, you seemed a little out of it when the whole cave-in thing happened in the hangar. Anyway, I'm the guy whose behind you saved today. I don't know when you'll be reading this, but I just wanted to say thanks._

_Get well soon_

_Larry_

"All done?" Maya asked him when he left Rei's room, to which he nodded. "Okay, let's get you to your room then." Back down they went, to the corridor they had originally started in. From there, she took him into a door on the left side of the corridor.

"I've got to get going now. Please don't wander around, okay?" Maya asked him as he went inside. The room was as empty as could be. Nothing except a bed and a chest of drawers, on top of which was a lamp. Glancing down at his watch, he saw that it was already one in the morning, but he didn't feel tired. The thought of spending the next few hours in this depressing little room didn't appeal to him all that much, and he left. He decided to head back to the ICU room. He had seen something there that he needed.

The phone was hanging neatly on the wall, right next to the door to Rei's room. He didn't know whether the blackout had actually shut down the phone lines to outside, or was just stopping people from using the phone. Either way, he had to try and use it. He wanted to tell his dad he was fine, as well as just hear a friendly voice in this place where he didn't know anybody.

He picked it up and dialled his home number. It rang twice, before his father frantically answered.

_"Hello?"_

"Dad, it's me. Listen, I just wanted to tell you I'm fine, so there's no need to be calling in any favours from your buddies in the army and navy."

_"Larry? Where the hell are you? Do you have any idea how worried I was?"_

"I can guess how worried you were. As to where I am...I can't really tell you that. In fact, there's a certain blonde here who'd have my balls if she knew I was making this call."

_"You're not making any sense! Shinji's tutor told me you and him had gone to Tokyo-3, but there's some kind of emergency going on and I can't get any info out of the people down there. Tell me where you are, and I'll have someone pick you up. Actually, scratch that, I'll come get you myself."_

Larry smiled to himself. "Dad, I wish I could go home, but I can't. See, I sort of saved the world this afternoon and now a bunch of people are deciding what they're going to do about it."

A beat of silence, then_ "You're being serious, aren't you?"_

"I wish I wasn't, but yes. I've got to get going. Just go get some sleep, since you know I'm not dead or being held for ransom or something."

_"I'll do that," _His father said, still sounding slightly uneasy. _"Just take care of yourself, alright? And phone me again when you can tell me the whole story."_

"Will do."

Grinning and feeling a lot better, Larry replaced the phone. His good feeling lasted about a second and a half longer, before he turned around and realised Misato had been standing behind him for who knows how long.

"Umm..."

"Larry, you did know there was a communications blackout, right?"

"Ahh..."

"I mean," Misato said, giving him a warm smile. "Someone did tell you, even though the confusion is so bad, they'll probably have trouble remembering their own names."

Finally, he snapped what Misato was doing. He shook his head, and she smiled. "I thought so. Well, I'm telling you now. If you make any calls, I'll have to lock you up. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am. Do you know how long until I get to go home?"

"I don't know. Given the commotion that's going on, I'd guess two days at the very least." She saw his face fall instantly. "Why, what's wrong?"

"Two more days of hanging around here? What am I supposed to do, try and make conversation with the ice queen?"

Misato looked at the boy and saw that he really felt out of his depth. He might be handling things a bit better than Shinji, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it. His conversation with his father would have told her how little he wanted to remain here, even if he hadn't.

"Well, how would you like to stay at my place? It's just me and my roommate, but you'll be able to come and go as you want."

"Are you serious?" She nodded, and Larry felt a whole lot better. "Yes, please."

"I'll talk to the commander, but I think it should be okay. I'm going off duty in an hour. Are you going back to your room?"

He shook his head. "I'll hang around here, read one or two of those magazines." Larry indicated the table with his head. "And I'll see you in an hour."

Misato nodded, and turned to leave. "Hey, Misato!" She turned back to him. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

"No problem. You and Shinji saved the day, so it's the least I can do."

When she had left, Larry picked up a magazine and made himself comfortable on one of the chairs in Rei's room. She was still sleeping, and after a while, her slow breathing made his own eyes droop. Now that he had called his father, he found that he really was tired. The magazine he had been reading fluttered to the ground, and he was sleeping soundly.

"Misato, are you sure about this?" Ritsuko was looking at her friend as they climbed the stairs to the ICU.

Misato nodded, and kept climbing. "Shinji doesn't want to live with his father, and I don't think it's good for him to live on his own. Larry's just staying until he can go home."

"But both of them? And why would Larry want to stay at your place when he could just as easily stay here?"

"He doesn't like it here, nor does he think too much of the people," Misato gave Ritsuko a good-humoured smile. "Especially you."

"Me?"

"Yeah, he told me as much. You've got to admit, you didn't go easy on the kid, considering he saved our and the world's collective butt."

"I was just too surprised by what happened today." Ritsuko replied, quieting as they entered the ICU floor. "The Marduk Report doesn't even mention him."

The two of them peeked inside the room and was surprised to see both of the teenagers inside passed out, sleeping. Misato went to go and wake up Larry, but Ritsuko held her back.

"Let him sleep. You take Shinji home, and when he wakes up, I'll bring him over myself."

"You'll do that?"

"Sure. It might give him a chance to see I'm not as evil as he thinks I am. Besides, I have something I want to discuss with him."

"Well, if that's what you want, I'll be happy to leave him. But no funny business," Misato said and waved a cautioning finger at Ritsuko. "Technically, I'm responsible for him until he gets back to his father. So, no hitting on him, okay?"

Ritsuko rolled her eyes as Misato left, and went into the small office on this floor. She still had some work to finish up while she waited for Larry to wake up.


End file.
